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George Washington was the first president of the United States. He was born in Virginia on February 22, 1732. At that time, there was no United States, and Virginia was a British colony.

Washington wanted to join the British Navy, but his mother didn’t want him to. Instead, he explored the woods of Virginia as a surveyor with George William Fairfax. When he was 20 years old, George Washington’s brother, Lawrence, died of tuberculosis and George inherited his brother’s property, Mount Vernon, on the Potomac River near Alexandria, Virginia.

George Joins the Military

Washington was made a commander of the Virginia militia in 1752 at the age of 20. The British had decided to make the French leave, and the battles became known as the French and Indian War. In 1759, Washington quit the military and went back to Mount Vernon. He was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses and served there until 1774. In 1759, he married the widow Martha Dandridge Custis and became stepfather to her two children.

The Revolution Begins

In the late 1760s, Washington became worried about the rising taxes on the colonists by the British. He decided it was time to declare independence from England. He served as a delegate to the First Continental Congress in 1774 in Philadelphia. The next year, the American Revolution began. Washington became the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.

President George Washington

In 1787, Washington went to the Constitutional Convention where he helped write the new Constitution. Impressed with his knowledge and abilities, he was asked to run for president.

The first presidential election was held on Jan. 7, 1789. Washington beat John Adams and took office on April 30, 1789 in New York City. At that time, the new nation only had 11 states and around four million people.

After serving two terms as president (and turning down a third term), Washington went back to Mount Vernon in 1796. He died on Dec. 14 at the age of 67. To this day, he is still referred to as the father of our country.

National Correspondent at LibertyNation.com and LNGenZ.com. Kelli Ballard is an author, editor, and publisher. Her writing interests span many genres including a former crime/government reporter, fiction novelist, and playwright. Originally a Central California girl, Kelli now resides in the Seattle area.